Govt is delaying project, says MP

Amritsar: Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik has intervened to revive an IT project here. He today held a meeting with Mohali-based Software Technology Park of India (STPI) Deputy Director Nitin Aggrawal, technical officer Sukhvir Singh and consultant architect Judgebir Singh Walia.The Software Technology Park of India (STPI) is an autonomous society under the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. It had allocated an IT project each to Mohali and Amritsar in 2012.After a year-long search, 2.72 acres were demarcated for the STPI at Industrial Focal Point here on September 23, 2013. A month later, the Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation (PSIEC) handed over possession of the land to the STPI.More than four years have passed since the land was allocated, but no progress has been made.For this, Malik blamed the “non-cooperative attitude” of the Capt Amarinder Singh government. “The Centre had, in 2016, sanctioned Rs 19 crore for the project. But no efforts have been made to utilise it. I am determined to bring the project to the city. I have planned to rope in local industrial houses to invest in the IT sector,” he said.The Rajya Sabha member pointed out the state government was still to approve the STPI’s layout plan, which was submitted five months ago.“The process to approve the layout plan takes just 30 days. We have been shuttling between the Chandigarh and Amritsar offices to get the maps approved. Every now and then, officials raise objections,” Walia said.Senior Town Planner Inderjit Singh, however, said the blueprint would be given a go-ahead only after the objections were cleared.“As per Small Industry Corporation Limited, which approves zonal planning, the building’s height cannot exceed 38 ft. but in the layout plan, the height is 58 ft. How can we approve it? We have asked STPI officials to conform to norms and then we will take just two days to approve the plan,” he added.